{"id":600,"date":"2026-05-07T08:08:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T13:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/plymouth-mn-1102\/?p=600"},"modified":"2026-04-29T11:27:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T16:27:25","slug":"the-first-week-mistake-nobody-plans-for-but-almost-everyone-makes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/plymouth-mn-1102\/blog\/the-first-week-mistake-nobody-plans-for-but-almost-everyone-makes\/","title":{"rendered":"The First Week Mistake Nobody Plans For (But Almost Everyone Makes)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AnThe email shows up on a Tuesday morning. It looks like it’s from the CEO.
\nThe name matches. The tone is right. Even the signature looks exactly right.<\/p>\n

“Hey \u2014 can you help me with something quickly? I’m in back-to-back meetings. Need you to handle a vendor payment. I’ll explain later.”<\/em><\/p>\n

The new employee pauses\u2026<\/p>\n

They’ve been with the company for four days. They’re still figuring out where the bathroom is. They don’t know what’s normal yet \u2014 and they definitely don’t want to be the person who questions the CEO in their first week.<\/p>\n

So they go ahead and help.<\/p>\n

And just like that, the damage is done. \ud83d\ude2c<\/p>\n

Why the First Week Is the Most Dangerous Week<\/h2>\n

Every spring, businesses bring in a fresh wave of employees \u2014 recent graduates, summer interns, new hires stepping into their first real roles. For companies, it’s onboarding season. For attackers? It’s something else entirely.<\/p>\n

According to Keepnet Lab’s 2025 New Hires Phishing Susceptibility Report<\/a>, CEO impersonation emails are 45% more likely to succeed with new hires than with experienced employees.<\/p>\n

Forty-five percent<\/strong>. Let that sink in for a second.<\/p>\n

Attackers don’t go after your most seasoned people. They go after the ones still learning the ropes \u2014 because there’s a window at the beginning where everything is unfamiliar and nothing feels certain.<\/p>\n

A new employee doesn’t know what a typical request looks like. They don’t know how the CEO usually communicates. They haven’t had time to build instincts or confidence yet.<\/p>\n

And cybercriminals take full<\/em> advantage of that uncertainty.<\/p>\n

But here’s the thing: The new employee isn’t the problem.
\nThe most dangerous employee isn’t careless. It’s the one trying to be helpful<\/em>.<\/p>\n

If you run a business, you probably already know exactly who on your team would respond first. Sound familiar? Yeah… I thought so. \ud83d\ude05<\/p>\n

The Real Gap Isn’t Training. It’s the System.<\/h2>\n

Now think back to your last new hire’s first day.<\/p>\n

Their laptop wasn’t ready. Access hadn’t been fully set up. Their email account was still being created. They borrowed someone else’s login to check something quickly. They saved a file locally because they couldn’t get into the shared drive. They used their personal phone to look up a client number because it was just… faster.<\/p>\n

None of that felt risky. It felt like being resourceful<\/em>. Like doing what needed to get done on a hectic first day.<\/p>\n

But here’s what was happening quietly in the background:<\/p>\n